Only the Lonely

From the Files of Madison Finn #1

by Laura Dower

Madison Finn isn't sure that she can survive the end of the summer, let along the beginning of a new school year. Middle school is a whole new world, and with her parents' divorce and new classmates at school, life is all about changes. Madison uses her laptop and the internet to help her through the trials and tribulations of seventh grade.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Contemporary

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Laura Dower worked in marketing and editorial in kid’s publishing for many years before taking a big leap to the full-time life of an author. Since 2000, she has penned 90+ books–from picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. Along the way, she had two sons and a daughter. Laura and her groovy family of five live in Yonkers, NY.

Reviews

[Chloe]

I may be a Harry Potter girl, but this series is the only one that I ever felt like I truly connected with the character. I was seven when I borrowed this from my twelve year old cousin (that I adored). I couldn't wait to be twelve, this book made that number into my lucky one. Obviously, after i turned twelve, I had to get a new one (I'm still at a lost, and am in lack of a lucky number.) but its storyline and general family situation the character was in felt infinitely similar to mine. Though I may never read the books again (I don't want to start critiquing and then lose all the nostalgic magic) it will forever stay with me, the story of a girl, daughter of divorced parents, who was into computers, the colour pink, and her two best friends.

[Emily]

I am 22 years old and I adore this formulaic, 14-chapter-per-book series. I started reading it when I was in high school. I was bored on a car ride and stopped in a bookstore to buy new books. The selection was limited, but here was this colorful chapter series (very short at the time as there were only four books released). I bought it and finished all four books in one day.

I never was much into the chapter books when I was a kid, but I imagine this is The Babysitter's Club for a new generation. Madison is your typical seventh grader, concerned about her divorced parents, keeping close friendships, crushes on boys, doing well in school, and of course we musn't forget the frenemies (Poison Ivy, Rose Thorn, and Phony Joanie).

The element that sets this series apart from the rest, I would say, is the interest Madison has in computers. She keeps journals on her laptop and is involved in computer clubs at school. She and her friends are members of a website with chatrooms, games, and such. She keeps in touch with an internet penpal as well. At the end of every book there are also tips for internet safety as well as internet lingo.

It's a good series for young girls (although I'm not a young girl and still enjoy all 22 books, which are neatly lined on my bookshelf).

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads]

Picking up a childhood favourite 20+ years later is risky. No matter what, I don’t think I can replicate the original magic and feelings that I had when I first read this book. However, this story was still enjoyable and had me smiling at some of the similarities that I shared with Madison when I originally read this book. 


There definitely is some things that may not have necessarily ‘aged well’ such as the references made to culture in the nineties/millennium but this story captures the drama and insecurities of being a preteen so well.

For nostalgia sake alone, I feel that I have to rate this book five stars because I know that would have been my rating at the time I first read this book (as the intended audience). I read and reread this series and sought comfort in it during some formative years. I don’t know if preteens now will relate to everything in this story but I know they will relate to the emotions and feelings of growing up.

[nova]

I AM ONLY LOGGING THIS BECAUSE I HAVE SPENT 10 YEARS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS BOOK SERIES I REMEMBER LOVING IT SO MUCH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL BUT COULDNT REMEMBER THE NAME I HAVE SPENT PROBABLY HOURS TRYING TO FIND IT AND FINALLY ON A RANDOM MONDAY IN JUNE I HAVE AT LAST RE FOUND THIS SERIES I LOVED

[Jinan]

[Review of entire series]

I read this entire book series back when I was 12 years old or so, which is I think the same age as the main character. At the time, I obviously enjoyed them since I'd always check them out from the library and bought a couple random ones here and there. The stories are not anything unique or special, and same with the characters-- I'm sure most of it is predictable and cliche. However, at that age (these are children's/early middle school books), I enjoyed them, thus the 3-star rating on all of them. Of course if I tried to read them now I would be pretty bored (and couldn't give a rating higher than 1 or 2 stars), but for younger readers who just want something entertaining, these are perfectly quick, fun reads.

[lia 🎀]

BROOO I read this book in 4th grade and I remember thinking she was as old and cool as like a 17 year old?? AINT NO WAY SHE WAS A RISING SEVENTH GRADER?? AGE IS SO WEIRD OMFG 4TH GRADE ME WOULD CALL ME A FREAKING GRANDMOTHER??!!!! Anyway I’m gonna read these books again I only read this first one never the whole series I remember I did an optional book report on it too because I loved it so much LMAO

[Naceonthebrain]

Rereading a childhood favorite and it did not disappoint! The nostalgia hit me so hard I loved it. Looking forward to picking up the rest

[Kelsy Fitzgerald]

I have been SEARCHING for this book since I got the inflatable chair and laptop in my head in 2021

[Elaine]

❤️💔❤️ for my little self. Read at red hook / Kosciusko pools

[Despair Speaking]

You can guess from the title itself that this is about the life of an ordinary twelve-year-old named Madison Finn. Madison Finn is one of those heroines who one can relate to and will like as the story progresses. Her insecurities, her interest in the Internet (although mainly in bigfishbowl), and her love for her dog were so well-written that it's as if Madison Finn is a real girl and the author is just writing her biography.

But it turns out she is really just fiction. Too bad.

Probably the only thing I don't like about her is that she gets moody way too easily and how she reacts to Hart. Then again not everyone can be like me so it's fine.

[Alicia]

Good grief. Madison Finn is a total bitch. She's ridiculously shy and manages to become disgusted with her closest friends while they're away for the summer. Madison somehow makes a new friend, Fiona, while best friends Aimee and Egg are away at camp; upon their return, she decides that they're both obnoxious, and still manages to snub and ignore Fiona when they start school. It's no wonder that the evil miss popular of the school, "Poison" Ivy treats Madison like the plague - Madison is rude and thoughtless.

[Michelle Kidwell]

Only The Lonely
Laura Dower
Copyright 2001

Madison is allergic to change but everything is changing.  She is starting seventh grade which means a lot of changes.  Even her friends are changing and she is not sure she likes it.  In the midst of all the change she comes to the realization that she too is changing and maybe not all change has to be bad.

I thought this book was very cute and 3rd through seventh grade girls would really enjoy it.  I would recommend this book for the young and the young at heart...

[Amanda]

I used to LOVE this book series back when it came out. I think I must have been in 3rd grade when I first started reading it. Re reading it has been a little disappointing, Madison Finn isn’t the girl I remember her being. I also couldn’t get my hands out original publication copies, the references to Minecraft are a little unsettling. Lol

[Sarah Carol Williams]

This was a childhood favorite of mine that I read when I was 12. Shockingly my library had the audiobook still so I listened to it to reminisce and it was very nostalgic. Not sure if kids these days could still relate to a lot of what Madison does these days, but I'm glad to know the books are still around!

[Vivian]

I like this book because it gives you an idea about people's lives when their friends are away at camp and of when they are back, when you have made a new friend . I think that 1 graders would like this book more than other people would.

[Kylie Dougherty]

Sometimes I love reading books from my childhood... it feels like a big warm hug. I remember how much I related to Madison as a fellow shy only child trying to figure it all out. Feeling all the feels.

[Reenie's Reads]

3.5⭐️’s.

Apparently, my deep love for this series wasn’t about the plot or characters.. it was about her laptop LOL!! Maybe this was the moment my IT career was set in motion? Who’s to say….

My only gripe? I didn’t realize it was republished and they modernized everything!!!? I wanted the full 2001 experience, with clunky tech and questionable early-internet vibes… not Minecraft lol. So yeah, I was lowkey devastated. Also, why is the FMC so pessimistic? Did I just not notice as a kid, or did my tolerance for teenage angst decrease over the years?

Anyway, still a fun nostalgia trip! I can confidently say I no longer want an orange laptop or a pug. Growth.

[Rebecca]

This is the book where I was confused by how exactly Madison treated the Internet, because I read this fifteen years after it was published and it reeked of the Y2K Usenet era. I had an iPad, but knew almost nothing about social media or the proper use of the Internet. So, I thought that the slang Madison used and how she connected with her Internet pals was how people used the Internet now. A lot of Madison’s struggles are timeless, but not her Internet use. This novel taught me to always check the publication date of a book.

[michelle]

i was reading an animorphs book w/ an internet-centered plot and it made me think of this series

i had to google “YA book series about a girl with a blog named maddie” at 2am

also: shoutout to openlibrary

extraordinarily dated now but i was so charmed by all the internet lingo then

i rmr relating to the protagonist when i first read these— i’m 23 now, so all i can really say is: it seems abt right

[Chen Wing Hei Micheline]

This book is about a girl called Madison Francesca Finn who dreaded facing the summer holidays since both of her best friends went to different camps and her parents have divorced. However, she also met a girl who recently moved in and made a new friend. Will Madison survive the holidays? Read on and find out.

[Megan Walker]

Been on a mission to thrift/collect a few of the book series I loved in my childhood and re-read them. Debated posting them to my challenge but honestly, they are still books that I am reading and it's been fun to reread books I would read over and over as a kid! I was so obsessed.

[Gabrielle ✿]

I read Madison Finn in elementary school and realized that reading a book was like watching a movie in my head. I'll always credit this series with making me love reading. Thank you, Laura Dower (and Stephanie Power).

[Reham]

Recently read these books again as an adult after more than a decade (or two) of reading them as a tween. The plot holds up, I teared up in a few places and it was a huge throwback to see the online lingo we used growing up. I would let my future daughter read these

[Hannah]

As a preteen, I thought Madison Finn was pretty cool; in retrospect… ehhh…

[Brittany Metcalf]

3.5 stars

[Laila Tarek]

comfort read, did not disappoint <3

[jennifer ✨]

I need to reread this…..I can’t believe I found it again after years of not remembering the name 😂

[Danielle]

It was a cute little book. It reminded me of a series like this that I used to read when I was younger, as I always say... on to the next one.

[lauren]

my favorite middle school series that i was obsessed with when i was 12, 5/5 for nostalgia reasons

[Emily]

Found this book cleaning and read for the nostalgia. Still awesome.